At first I found it good because it was way better then Cata.
However it's completely destroyed at high levels by the awful daily quest grinds that are a grief fest, a bore fest and an annoying mechanics fest. Blizzard is also cheap on the rewards, with dirty moves like no flying while dead.
I find myself getting angry each evening while doing these crap daily quests.
Nothing good toAt first I found it good because it was way better then Cata.
However it's completely destroyed at high levels by the awful daily quest grinds that are a grief fest, a bore fest and an annoying mechanics fest. Blizzard is also cheap on the rewards, with dirty moves like no flying while dead.
I find myself getting angry each evening while doing these crap daily quests.
Nothing good to expect from Blizzard any more after Cataclysm, Diablo 3 and now this.…Expand

I'd like to start off by saying that I've been playing since near launch with one break in late Vanilla. This is also coming from someone who generally disliked Cataclysm.

Mists of Pandaria (or "MoP" as I will be referring to it as such from now on) is very manipulative. Once you make it to max level, you are given a plethora of new options, but very few actually give you anything. WithI'd like to start off by saying that I've been playing since near launch with one break in late Vanilla. This is also coming from someone who generally disliked Cataclysm.

Mists of Pandaria (or "MoP" as I will be referring to it as such from now on) is very manipulative. Once you make it to max level, you are given a plethora of new options, but very few actually give you anything. With the exception of a single Scenario (the Arena one), the other Scenarios give you little to no rewards for your character (if you get really lucky, a crappy item). Dungeons (or rather Heroics) will get you gear and (very useless) Justice Points which will get you gear that's... under the Dungeon quality... Okay... You'll also get Valor Points... but you can't spend them until you do two+ weeks of daily quests with multiple factions.

Basically, your progression goes like this: Every day, you're intended to do all of the daily hubs (That is, about 5 of them, each taking anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes each) for 45 days (or 45 times). This is so you can spend your hard-earned Valor Points on higher gear as well as get some other rewards. In addition, you're intended to do Heroic Dungeons to gear alongside your time with dailies. When you're finally done with all of that (such as myself), you're just intended to raid and... not do much else. Similar to Cataclysm, but Cataclysm at least just went: Dungeons (or crafted) and JP Gear to Raiding, whereas MoP is: Dungeons, Crafted, JP, and Dailies (all alongside each other) to LFR to Raiding.

To any retro gamer out there reading this, Cataclysm is to Castlevania as MoP is to Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest (except that Cataclysm was also terrible, unlike Castlevania, but in the gear progression sense, this analogy holds true).

In addition, Blizzard claims you have "choices" and "options". I've experienced both sides as I now have two level 90s, one of which (my main), I did all the dailies and did everything possible, and my alt, who is not doing the dailies. While both sides are terribly slow, the dailies character was much faster, but 10x more boring.

Aside from all of that, the ONLY reason I'm giving my review a 5 instead of a 1 or even a 0 is because of the raiding content and challenge dungeons. I won't lie, I've disliked and even hated raiding since Tier 9 (that is, Trial of the Crusader, the patch after Ulduar), but Tier 14 is actually quite superb for a very awful expansion. Even moreso, Challenge Dungeons are a fun rush that only offers vanity and aesthetically beautiful gear for overcoming difficult challenges with a group of friends/guildies/whatever.

While I still think MoP is doing very poor in its current state, it is by no means the worst expansion, as Cataclysm easily deserves that award (less choices, less stuff to do, awful raiding, awful EVERYTHING). I have hopes for the future, but they're very slim because if the fun raiding content stops, this will instantly turn into a 1 and a subscription cancellation, permanently.…Expand

I just wanted to say World of Warcraft is dead, I loved you from the first moment I installed you on my computer back in the days of Molten core 40s and UBRS 10s, some of the funniest gaming days of my life the dungeon sets the Grand marshals, the fear of seeing someone with sulfuras hand of ragnaros charging towards you in warsong gulch, the STV ganking the ganking when trying to getI just wanted to say World of Warcraft is dead, I loved you from the first moment I installed you on my computer back in the days of Molten core 40s and UBRS 10s, some of the funniest gaming days of my life the dungeon sets the Grand marshals, the fear of seeing someone with sulfuras hand of ragnaros charging towards you in warsong gulch, the STV ganking the ganking when trying to get into SM, THE GANKING OHHHH THE GANKING it made you rage but it wasn…Expand

At first I was reluctant, but then I started leveling my main... and realized how different this expansion was. Most of the tedious useless grinding is gone. Even what is still left, has some variety to it so it isn't day after day of the same old dungeon or quest. Rather, it's more in sync with learning different game mechanics, which there is a bunch of them. Talents are no longer aAt first I was reluctant, but then I started leveling my main... and realized how different this expansion was. Most of the tedious useless grinding is gone. Even what is still left, has some variety to it so it isn't day after day of the same old dungeon or quest. Rather, it's more in sync with learning different game mechanics, which there is a bunch of them. Talents are no longer a template you copy from some mathematically calculated simulation (aka: website), you can actually change them on the fly, and it makes sense to do so. Most -if not all- of the consumables needed by your class are gone; no more addons to auto-refill your bags with arrows or portal runes. Actual abilities and gameplay have been tweaked so you don't have a single winning rotation, but rather a rotation with a set of choices at each point in time, which requires more situational awareness than before. Interserver is a great addition, so places that looked deserted not so long ago, now get filled with people from other servers leveling up, gathering, or just doing whatever they do. The pet minigame is part of that "filling the deserted world" trend, as you need to go to low-level areas to level up your pets. Not that you need to, but it surely is a fun way to bump into someone from the opposing faction and get some impromptu pvp action. The addition of world bosses, scenarios, and the fact you can queue for dungeons, scenarios and raids all at once, is also welcome; no 40+ min waiting times for dps anymore. While faction based dailies get spiced up with the harvesting mini-game, cloud serpent racing, and such. Overall it's an expansion that addresses many long standing problems, while adding new content and challenges to last for quite a while.…Expand

After Cataclysm I was expecting more content and more "stuff". I knew from the start that this wasn't going to be a huge game changer but I waited with patience and eventually it came out. After about 2 months of gaming all I can say is this: it's not bad, although I can see why the players are angry about it and the reason is it has nothing really different than the other expansions. TheAfter Cataclysm I was expecting more content and more "stuff". I knew from the start that this wasn't going to be a huge game changer but I waited with patience and eventually it came out. After about 2 months of gaming all I can say is this: it's not bad, although I can see why the players are angry about it and the reason is it has nothing really different than the other expansions. The questing system, even if it's the exact same as the other expansions, has one major upgrade: they are almost all linked all at one and almost resembles a campaign (something that this game really should have). Apart from that, it's the same old stuff and even though I don't mind at all if quests are repetitive it's showing already how old the game is. The new areas are gorgeous and really shows that they are struggling to make the game still good to look at...but again it shows so hard that it's old and needs a new direction. However, the 2 newest additions are of course the pandarens and the monk class....now for the first one, I don't really like it, but it's very well done and even if people think they are fluffy and cute, which they are, they don't feel out of place at all and I really feel their problems and struggles while questing. The monk class can be considered a bit like a druid or a paladin because it can do all 3 roles (tank, dps, healer) and so far it's actually too good, so good that properly it's gonna need some fixing, but so far I do enjoy this new class and the only flaw is that the first levels are kinda hard due to a HUGE lack of damage (but luckily gets higher around level 15). Now, for the rest, I do have some complaints: the dungeons are very well done and bosses are greatly and nicely thought...but they are still easy and it's a shame that it doesn't get any more challenging. I haven't tried raids but the most I get from players is that they aren't hard and the heroics are not even hard, but actually even easier. At 90 also the game forces you to grind reputations in order to get a lot of your equipment, making the game based mostly on daily quests: this method seems like an excuse to make the gear grinding look harder, but it's only longer and really feels out of place, without mentioning that the levelling is extremely long to reach the cap. Overall, I do enjoy this game, probably more than most of other mmorpgs. I played and tried other online games, from Aion to guild wars 2, and somehow I still get back to this game and the reason is that it's still a very cured game and detailed. It has flaws and I'm gonna give this game a 6 mainly because it's not bad, but it's definitely meant for old fans of the series: they will gladly like the game and won't have real issues at all, but for those who are tired already...I highly suggest to skip it. All I can say is, I do hope for one more expansion, and then put an end to this game, because even though Blizzard is showing capabilities and knows how to improve some game content (and make some other worse), this game is unfortunely becoming too old and needs to end in glory. Not in shame.…Expand

World of Daily Questcraft. WoW has devolved into a rep grind. What started out as Shattered Sun daily quests in The Burning Crusade where one could do them all in an hour, now dailies have evolved into a 3 to 4 hour grind (depending on server and if you are doing them at peak time). Other than that, the story arc is the same as the last 2 expansions: 1. New world is discovered, 2. AllianceWorld of Daily Questcraft. WoW has devolved into a rep grind. What started out as Shattered Sun daily quests in The Burning Crusade where one could do them all in an hour, now dailies have evolved into a 3 to 4 hour grind (depending on server and if you are doing them at peak time). Other than that, the story arc is the same as the last 2 expansions: 1. New world is discovered, 2. Alliance and Horde compete for colonization, 3. A great evil awakens to threaten the very fabric of existence, and 4. Blizzard takes a year rolling out the content to save the world in 2 to 4 content patches before they announce another expansion to reset the cycle. Do not buy! You won't have time to enjoy this game unless you are unemployed and on welfare. This game has become a job.…Expand

I have been playing it since it's release and it's really boring for someone who is new to the game. It has too much "questing" collecting things and getting reputation, something that is not Warcraft and it's not fun at all. I'm still trying to understand what's so interesting about this game, what keeps the player base in it, but it's only the "item race" to get the best items on theI have been playing it since it's release and it's really boring for someone who is new to the game. It has too much "questing" collecting things and getting reputation, something that is not Warcraft and it's not fun at all. I'm still trying to understand what's so interesting about this game, what keeps the player base in it, but it's only the "item race" to get the best items on the game before someone does. It doesn't worth 15USD every month or paying for the Battlechest + Mist of Pandaria if you could get a lot of fun from other games that are cheaper and interesting (like GTAV, COD, GW2, etc.). For a game that is supposed to fell like a MMO it fells like a Facebook game.
The story line is really childish focused on young audience, I don't even recommend it for young children because of the addictive level the game has. So far, the worst game to play right now.…Expand

Is it me? Or am I the only one who thinking the next expansion... if there ever is one. Will be World of Warcaft: Rainbow Pony Friendship? Even when i saw the WoW commercial on TV. I thought it was a trailer for the next Kung Fu Panda and that movie is seriously where I think Blizzard got their ideas from. 0 creativity, 0 thought, and 0 respect toward their loyal players. This game isIs it me? Or am I the only one who thinking the next expansion... if there ever is one. Will be World of Warcaft: Rainbow Pony Friendship? Even when i saw the WoW commercial on TV. I thought it was a trailer for the next Kung Fu Panda and that movie is seriously where I think Blizzard got their ideas from. 0 creativity, 0 thought, and 0 respect toward their loyal players. This game is NOTHING like what it once was. Classic, and Burning Crusade looking back feel like and are a totally different game. It seems like their idea of business is to take your money and for you to shut up. I even tried to give my account to my girlfriend so she didn't haft to buy it. She wanted the account name changed to hers. Customer Service told me we needed to submit 2-3 copies of each of our LEGAL Identification to get a name change. What is this? Here in the US to vote for a President you don't even haft to show ONE piece of ID. LOL and this is for a VIDEO GAME account. But, that didn't end there. The client then proceeded to threaten to ban my account since letting her have/play it was a violation of the EULA. As a BIG leader in the gaming industry i expected more. Collecting millions and billions if revenue a year, they would be the most polished company on earth. But to assume that, you would be DEAD wrong.…Expand

The scourge of haters from other games is quite evident here, or people lowering the games rating all the way to a zero because they made 1 change they didn't like, such as a bit of lag (which happens on every launch) don't let them turn you off from this game, the game is terrific. This has made the game fun again, in cataclysm i had a total of 10 days playing time at the end fo theThe scourge of haters from other games is quite evident here, or people lowering the games rating all the way to a zero because they made 1 change they didn't like, such as a bit of lag (which happens on every launch) don't let them turn you off from this game, the game is terrific. This has made the game fun again, in cataclysm i had a total of 10 days playing time at the end fo the xpax, so far in pandaria i already have 5 days, it is incredible, you owe it to yourself to try it, whether you are a fan of WoW or not, the game is not childish, all the quests are dark and murderous, just how we like them…Expand

Ignore the "reviews" that are really about one individuals soap box critique of WoW in general or are anger fueled diatribes against various personal pet peeves. If you enjoy WoW because it is a fun, light, game that gives you a ton of amusing and enjoyable content to play through and experience, you will like MoP. I was initially very skeptical of the concept, and hated the ida of KungIgnore the "reviews" that are really about one individuals soap box critique of WoW in general or are anger fueled diatribes against various personal pet peeves. If you enjoy WoW because it is a fun, light, game that gives you a ton of amusing and enjoyable content to play through and experience, you will like MoP. I was initially very skeptical of the concept, and hated the ida of Kung Fu Panda meets Azeroth, but Blizard pulled it off. The lore is execellent and the continent is extremely well realized. From a technical standpoint I personally hit no glitches during the solo run to 90 and basic dungeon crawling. I have not had an opportunity to raid yet, but all of the features seem well implemented to me. Where I felt that Cataclysm started off with a great concept and fell very flat in delivery, MoP starts off with a questionable concept and pleasantly surprises you. Risky for Blizard but I think this approach will pay dividends in the end.

One change probably causing the ridiculous flood of exaggerated negative "reviews" is the new talent system. Personally I think the new talent system is a positive since I don't need an MMO to be a full time job and don't have my ego wrapped up in what an "elite gamer" I am (that in itself is a funny concept! using video game expertise to validate your ego is just intensely ironic). It is a flattened and simplified system compared to the legacy approach and much of the fat has been trimmed. Stat jockey's and min/maxers alost certainly have their panties in a knot over this (again, note the butt hurt reviews), but if you can be obective, there is a lot to like in this new system. Especially when you consider that the complexity of the old system really just resulted in a handful of people spending 10,000 hours testing with spreadsheets and the rest of the world simply yelling "WHATS THE BEST BUILD FOR XYZ????" until they find the "cool build" to copy. No loss if you ask me.

In conclusion if you still enjoy WoW for the exploration, the humor, the lovely art direction and the innovative approach to progression (both group and solo), you will almost certainly find a lot to like here (not to mention a whole new class to try). If you already spend most of your time posting anti-WoW rants, then you already know you hate the game before it is ever released so please stop reviewing it and seek professional help.…Expand

I was hoping that the addition of a new race and class would overcome the boredom of doing endless pointless quests like 'retrieve 5 bits of magic wood', but unfortunately it's still as boring as ever. I was a fan of WOW to begin with, and I got sick of it after playing it for 6 months to a year. The graphics in MoP are quite pretty, the addition of the Asian elements and the atmosphere isI was hoping that the addition of a new race and class would overcome the boredom of doing endless pointless quests like 'retrieve 5 bits of magic wood', but unfortunately it's still as boring as ever. I was a fan of WOW to begin with, and I got sick of it after playing it for 6 months to a year. The graphics in MoP are quite pretty, the addition of the Asian elements and the atmosphere is what the rating of 5 is for, but it does not improve the game.…Expand

New expansion - it's a joke! You grind more than ever - reputation, justice/valor points etc... You still have the same stupid quest types - kill xxx mobs, gather xxx plants, save and escort xxx npc's... New class - "yeah! let's make it overpowered and nerf all the other classes, so every raid must have a monk!" The glitches from previous expansions still aren't fixed - when gatheringNew expansion - it's a joke! You grind more than ever - reputation, justice/valor points etc... You still have the same stupid quest types - kill xxx mobs, gather xxx plants, save and escort xxx npc's... New class - "yeah! let's make it overpowered and nerf all the other classes, so every raid must have a monk!" The glitches from previous expansions still aren't fixed - when gathering quest items, You still have a chance that mobs won't drop it for 1h, eventually dropping more than needed in quest. Personal loot tables? Yeah, right... LFR = no loot at all, 10/25man - there still is a chance that boss will drop something for a class/spec that isn't even in the raid group! Too bad Blizzard again serves us reheated meat instead of cooking something new, especially when Guild Wars 2 showed how new MMORPG should look like. It seems like Blizz just want to make MMORPG for casuals - easier talent trees, "legendary weapon for all" and expanding LFR (item upgrades coming in 5.1) so that players won't cry when their items will have Raid Finder addition in tooltip and giving purple items for everyone - now raid level items from quests! Guild Wars 2 - new, fresh look at MMORPG and questing/grinding playstyle, WoW: MoP - the same things that was in earlier expansions, but made easier for casual players, and not so rewarding and demanding like, in example, ICC/Ulduar - for semi- and full hardcore players.…Expand

I'd been playing WoW for four years before Mists of Pandaria was released and to be honest I was getting pretty bored of the same old thing with some huge dragon to kill at the end of it all. When I read about MoP I was really excited; I love oriental culture and aesthetics and was looking forward to a WoW expansion being about having fun instead of being all dark and broody (again).I'd been playing WoW for four years before Mists of Pandaria was released and to be honest I was getting pretty bored of the same old thing with some huge dragon to kill at the end of it all. When I read about MoP I was really excited; I love oriental culture and aesthetics and was looking forward to a WoW expansion being about having fun instead of being all dark and broody (again).

Having been through a couple of launch nights I settled down fully expecting what happened next. Too many people were logged on and everything got so slow - there was evidently a queueing system for the new quests which meant that you clicked on whatever and then nothing happened - for ages. If you were patient (something most wow players can't get the hang of) the quests would complete and you could move into Pandaria and start enjoying the continent. Luckily for those of us capable of relaxing for a while plenty of people rage quit so the queues got shorter quite quickly and the quests became less slow and buggy. Many people have flamed the launch night but I was logged in and able to play all night unlike any other expansion launch night. The quest queues made people think the whole thing was bugged when actually it was preventing us from crashing the servers and getting booted out. On the whole I was massively impressed.

I really enjoy playing WoW again since MoP launched; the scenery is glorious (I love the less than perfect, iconic graphics styling), the quests have that element of fun that has been missing for so long and the game actually feels like something I can do to enjoy myself, which is the point after all. I particularly like the fact that the focus has put on people actually completing content and not being handed everything on a silver platter. You want to spend your hard earned Valor points? Well then you've got to grind rep. You want to get the best craftables? Then you have to farm the materials. There are loads of dailies you can do and they have removed the hideous rep tabards meaning you actually have to play the game instead of just doing dungeons and raids! Any one who says that MoP requires little time or effort clearly hasn't played the game yet. There is now so much you can choose to do from grinding dailies for rep and gold to scenarios or instances, raiding to discovering all of the hidden items in Pandaria that boredom really shouldn't be a problem.

If you used to play WoW now is a great time to come back and if you have never played before take a few minutes to learn about the type of realm you want to play on and then come join in with the fun!…Expand

I played wow since TBC in chunks of a few months and stopped playing when Cata came out. Cata alienated the game world to me. Everything became streamlined and useless. The worgens on the alliance side were an insult. Then GW2 came out, i tried it and liked it until the first instance - it was a mess, so I dropped GW2 on the same day i went to the first instance. Then pandaria comes out,I played wow since TBC in chunks of a few months and stopped playing when Cata came out. Cata alienated the game world to me. Everything became streamlined and useless. The worgens on the alliance side were an insult. Then GW2 came out, i tried it and liked it until the first instance - it was a mess, so I dropped GW2 on the same day i went to the first instance. Then pandaria comes out, and i bought the expansion and 1-month subscription "just to check it out". Well, did 2 zones (Jade forest and Valley of 4 winds), created a female panda monk character and deleted it immediately because it looked like a fat ugly woman. I simply hate all this new asian content. It's completely out of place and worst of all, the whole expansion is about China. You can't skip it, you can't avoid doing the zones or quests related to China. It's just China everywhere, there is nothing else. Also, the game got even easier than it was before. So, why should i level up the character? What would i find at level 90? Same heroics, than raids, chaotic bgs and arenas where i will always lose because i don't have the gear. And all that now in the chinese setting... This game is gone, Wow died when Cata came out. The painful part for me as a gamer is that WoW will still earn money, but from the different audience now, from the same people who play farms and buy seeds and potions for real money on mobile platforms. This is a new generation of players. They are dumb, lazy and don't see games as challenge or mental exercise. Blizzard is just adapting to them. Pretty soon there will be no place for us "old farts". This all just makes me feel old. The funny part is that this "dumbing" did not start just recently. Even my generation is dumber than the one of my parents. So, lets see where we come in 20 years from now. Kids of our kids will see Pandaria as an impossibly hard game.…Expand

Lol this expansion is really fun and well made, just like every other one it provides tons of replay. Also i cant help but laugh at all the Guild Wars 2 fan boy butt hurt about this. Do any of you people even own the gAme? Probably not, i have played guild wars 2 and its a good game but doesnt keep you hooked and always with something do like WoW does. And if you dont like this feel freeLol this expansion is really fun and well made, just like every other one it provides tons of replay. Also i cant help but laugh at all the Guild Wars 2 fan boy butt hurt about this. Do any of you people even own the gAme? Probably not, i have played guild wars 2 and its a good game but doesnt keep you hooked and always with something do like WoW does. And if you dont like this feel free
To dislike, swear about me, rate it unhelpful and have a good time in Azeroth! ;)…Expand

Dragon Soul destroyed my faith in WoW that Firelands built up. The release of MoP has made me regain some of that faith.

Questing and dailies are as grinding as always and boring, the dungeons are not terrible but at the same time they are nothing great. I am here for the raiding though and so far MoP blows Drag Soul out of the water.
As I said before dailies are a grind-fest andDragon Soul destroyed my faith in WoW that Firelands built up. The release of MoP has made me regain some of that faith.

Questing and dailies are as grinding as always and boring, the dungeons are not terrible but at the same time they are nothing great. I am here for the raiding though and so far MoP blows Drag Soul out of the water.

As I said before dailies are a grind-fest and very boring so if you want to play a game for the questing then it may not be the game for you, but I play the game solely for the raiding and this is a big improvement over Dragon Soul. It would be nice to see some sort of innovative new idea for questing, but I still give it a 9/10 for a decent opening raid.…Expand

An amazing expansion with lots to do, if you aren't an angsty teen (or just plain immature person) who hates the game because they think it's "too kiddy" you're probably going to like it. Also take note of how many 0's were put up in the first 3 days (let alone the first day alone)....just shows you how many people hated it for the sake of hating without even trying the game.

Simply put, I think Mists of Pandaria is probably one of the best expansions WoW has received so far. The content is amazing and vibrant and this is one of the first expansions where I geniunly felt that the journey to the level cap has been as entertaining as the destination. Great quests, with good voice acting and a solidifying narrative that takes you over the game's fairly expansiveSimply put, I think Mists of Pandaria is probably one of the best expansions WoW has received so far. The content is amazing and vibrant and this is one of the first expansions where I geniunly felt that the journey to the level cap has been as entertaining as the destination. Great quests, with good voice acting and a solidifying narrative that takes you over the game's fairly expansive continent. And once you hit 90, there is a wealth of honestly fun activities to now pursue. Farming, pet battles, a greatly improved archeology, scenarios and challenge dungeons just for starters. With a ton of great looking additions coming up in patch 5.1. Is it for everyone? Probably not. Does the formula wear a little thin at times? Sure it does. But as a fan who has been playing since 2004, I honestly feel like this is the best World of Warcraft has ever been and I'm impressed with how much heart and innovation Blizzard can still put into a game that by a lot of people's account should of packed it in years ago.…Expand

It seems that wow new extension is going in the wrong direction, many of the fun is lost by oversimplified skills ans systems, and the original feeling of warcraft is lost to me. I feel like playing a different game, but an old one. The only good point is that wow is still a good place to meet many of my friends, but not much to enjoy the game. I suggest that blizzard go for a wow2 withIt seems that wow new extension is going in the wrong direction, many of the fun is lost by oversimplified skills ans systems, and the original feeling of warcraft is lost to me. I feel like playing a different game, but an old one. The only good point is that wow is still a good place to meet many of my friends, but not much to enjoy the game. I suggest that blizzard go for a wow2 with new graphics and back to orc vs humans rather than stretching the warcraft fluff.…Expand

I saw a blog post the other day from another MMO developer which talked about how you shouldn't make drastic changes to an MMO after launch, specifically on 'streamlining' the experience. In it, he talks about changes that individuals felt were necessary, but wound up contributing to his game's ultimate decline and demise. That dev was Dan Rubenfield, writing about the NGE patch for StarI saw a blog post the other day from another MMO developer which talked about how you shouldn't make drastic changes to an MMO after launch, specifically on 'streamlining' the experience. In it, he talks about changes that individuals felt were necessary, but wound up contributing to his game's ultimate decline and demise. That dev was Dan Rubenfield, writing about the NGE patch for Star Wars: Galaxies. Now, 5.0 wasn't on the level of NGE, but over the years, things have begun to accumulate that make me question the necessity. The most obvious is the talent point system. Mechanically, it works and I understand why they did it. It is actually nice to be 'viable' regardless of the spec you choose. However, A) you are making choices for your character every 20 levels as opposed to every 2 levels, taking a lot out of the feeling of excitement for levelling up. B) oftentimes it is difficult to decide not because things are so good, but because nothing really appeals to you. C) the change did absolutely nothing to get rid of cookie cutter builds. D) things are seriously, seriously unbalanced - it's like they didn't listen to the beta testers. Another terrible decision was the inclusion of Cross Realm Zones (CRZ). Currently these only affect pre-MoP areas, but they have introduced a host of new bugs and issues, including lag spikes which crash your connection and auto-dismount when crossing zone borders. I play on a full server, and I was blown away when I learned I would have to share space with not only people from my server, but at least 5 other high population servers! Quest mobs are constantly camped, and on pvp servers there is constant ganking by high level players. Absolutely terrible decision. You now get Valor Points for dailies, which on the surface seems like a possibly good change, until you realize rewards for running heroic dungeons are cut in half, and you can only get full rewards once a day. This essentially means daily quests are mandatory, forever. I am not able to play 24/7, so the idea of doing 30+ daily quests every day really turns me off. Anyway, this review isn't so much about Pandaria as it is about the changes that came out in 5.0. I struggled with scoring it because content wise, MoP is ok if a bit lackluster. There wasn't anything that blew my mind in MoP like there was in previous expansions, and the "new features" (pet battles, scenarios) feel tacked on. You will run 4 dungeons while levelling 85-90, then find only 2 new, heroic-only dungeons at 90 (the rest are heroic versions of vanilla dungeons - ugh). I don't like to be a 'sky is falling' type person, but the only thing that can kill WoW is WoW itself, and dammit, they're trying. I don't believe I will be renewing my subscription.…Expand

18OCT2012 - What else can I say about this expansion except Truly Awful. The kung fu pandas are way over the top to the point of being unbearably obnoxious. The panda characters and animations look stupid and clunky. Their voice acting is borderline offensive Asian stereotype. As expected, Blizzard pulled their usual lame tricks and recycled old content over and over. Very little is18OCT2012 - What else can I say about this expansion except Truly Awful. The kung fu pandas are way over the top to the point of being unbearably obnoxious. The panda characters and animations look stupid and clunky. Their voice acting is borderline offensive Asian stereotype. As expected, Blizzard pulled their usual lame tricks and recycled old content over and over. Very little is actually original work. Thankfully most of the Kung Fu Panda land is accessible on a trial account which saved me from purchasing this awful piece of garbage. If there was ever any doubt that Blizzard doesn't know what they're doing anymore, this expansion is proof of it. Don't trust the "professional" reviews here on metacritic because they're often paid to write a good review. I doubt any of them even know what World of Warcraft is nor how low Blizzard has sunk.…Expand

My 3 rl friends and my entire guild quit because of this expansion. Blizzard really screwed up this time. Panda world sucks even worse than cataclysm. I never had a problem with pandas before but they look soooo stupid in this game.

First: a copy of Asia in WoW? That's not cut, that's not creative - that's simply cheap. Same with the whole armory. Compared to the gear and level design in Cata, MoP is simply crap. Next thing: the talent "tree". That's no tree at all. It even doesn't have talents. It's just choosing 6 skills. Some of them are pretty cool, many are just copies of old talents - the real ones. That sucks.First: a copy of Asia in WoW? That's not cut, that's not creative - that's simply cheap. Same with the whole armory. Compared to the gear and level design in Cata, MoP is simply crap. Next thing: the talent "tree". That's no tree at all. It even doesn't have talents. It's just choosing 6 skills. Some of them are pretty cool, many are just copies of old talents - the real ones. That sucks. Next: the PVP. They all call it the "PVP Addon". Did anyone of these guys even play PVP in GW2? WoW never was a PVP-MMO and it never will be one. PVP boring as always. Last: the endgame content. Well, the only reason I give 2 Points for: it's a bit harder to beat. But I bet they will patch it easier, as they always did. I really loved WoW, but it's old and boring now. The world and the whole gameplay are so stiff like an 90 year old guy and its simply ridiculous how WoW tries to copy GW2 and other MMOs with it's scenarios and Pokemon stuff. That's simply cheap.…Expand

So, I can tell whoever gave this a zero didn't even play it. This is by far better than Cataclysm. This expansion brings you into a new world, with a rich new story to the Warcraft universe. Sure, Pandas are goofy and not so serious, but the expansion is great. The quests they put in make questing not a drag, and I LOVE the continent of Pandaria. The only problems I have currently withSo, I can tell whoever gave this a zero didn't even play it. This is by far better than Cataclysm. This expansion brings you into a new world, with a rich new story to the Warcraft universe. Sure, Pandas are goofy and not so serious, but the expansion is great. The quests they put in make questing not a drag, and I LOVE the continent of Pandaria. The only problems I have currently with this expansion is the Cross Realm Zones, with all the ganking and bugs going on leveling alts has become pretty frustrating. But after getting past all of those frustations, the new monk class is amazing. They are very balanced (compared to release Death Knights). I have no idea where these haters came from, but this expansion is great. I was going to quit WoW but MoP brought me back.…Expand

Ok, I may lose credibility right off the bat for saying this, but pandas? really? I know they were in the warcraft games, but they were barely even covered. Why go this route when there are so many other options available, such as the emerald dream, or what happened to alleria and turalyon? Or we could have even fought sargeras and it still would have been more plausible than this BS. MyOk, I may lose credibility right off the bat for saying this, but pandas? really? I know they were in the warcraft games, but they were barely even covered. Why go this route when there are so many other options available, such as the emerald dream, or what happened to alleria and turalyon? Or we could have even fought sargeras and it still would have been more plausible than this BS. My second issue is that this "new" continent is just a reskinned northrend, there is no originality here people. Third, the talent tree changes are just bad, it throws off what balance the classes had, meaning that there is no class balance anymore. Fourth, the community blows ass now, it was bad in cata, but it's even worse here, and when a community sucks in a game which requires massive cooperative effort, you've got a serious **** problem. Fifth, the game brings nothing new to the table, it's just more of the same, get to level cap, grind for gear, grind for more gear, make a new character, rinse and repeat. Sorry people, but if you were looking for something refreshing and new or anything good, go somewhere else, this game sucks now…Expand

Waste of money, i did not like anything about this "pvp expansion" The leveling was fun i guess but its all the same old same old with dumbed down game mechanics this does not truly feel like a MMO anymore.

Oh boy, now I am a fan of WOW, but not this debacle. I like the new addition to the game, but none can forgive credit to BLizzard anymore, they have lost the magic it once possessed. I don't want to bash the game, because it is still a social monarch on the scene, but the gameplay and surprise is once lost after a week of questing. The QUESTion marks are this games downfall, it brought toOh boy, now I am a fan of WOW, but not this debacle. I like the new addition to the game, but none can forgive credit to BLizzard anymore, they have lost the magic it once possessed. I don't want to bash the game, because it is still a social monarch on the scene, but the gameplay and surprise is once lost after a week of questing. The QUESTion marks are this games downfall, it brought to the scene a way to simplify an MMO and takke the immersion one would once get, when you wandered around and LEARNING what the game was about. It is now nothing more than a strict mother telling you what to do. It is a good expansion pack, but I think maybe the AGE of the game is showing. I want to make clear, if you enjoy WOW, please don't read the reviews, they are for honest biased opinions only. If you are a fan of the game, get this XP now! If you are thinking of returning, well....you will have the same disappointment you had when you quit the last time. Blizzard needs to revamp it's developers and seek out young creative talent instead of patting themselves on the back for taking chump money.…Expand

LOL at all the people trying to lower MoP scores so people will join their failing mmo games ... To anyone that wants the truth, MoP is the best Xpac since TBC and in many cases better. To say there is nothing new in the game, is a blatant lie and points to people that have never stepped into Blizzards new exanpsion. The xpac is now a little over 2 weeks old and I already have 7daysLOL at all the people trying to lower MoP scores so people will join their failing mmo games ... To anyone that wants the truth, MoP is the best Xpac since TBC and in many cases better. To say there is nothing new in the game, is a blatant lie and points to people that have never stepped into Blizzards new exanpsion. The xpac is now a little over 2 weeks old and I already have 7days worth of played time at 90.

To those saying the game is simplistic? Please, there is more depth involved then your tiny brains can process.

A lot of these "0" reviews come from gw2, swotr, etc fanboy's who are upset the MoP has stolen their user base once again.

Hats off to Blizzard to creating what COULD VERY WELL POSSIBLY end up being the BEST xpac, time will tell, but if Blizzard keeps with the quailty they have started with, this very likely will become true.

So, if you are reading these reviews, don't be fooled by those trying to downrate MoP because of their personal grudge and inadept ability to enjoy a great game when it slaps them in the face.

Pick up MoP and start enjoying Pandaria. The story, gameplay, graphics, voice overs are all topnotch from a company that cares about their game and it shows through with flying colors.

Those worried that game has been casualized becauase of simple talent system, don't fool yourselfs, the talent system simply took what everyone does and applied it to your character and finally given you choices that matter and can truly effect your play experience.

The game has struck a balance for the hardcore and casuals that was never achived before. There are things that are goofy, easy and fun to keep players entertained, but the difficulty of higher rewards is turned up for those a bit more serious about the game. Wow no longer feels like it was designed for players who just wanted free hand outs and this a great step in the right direction.

Dungeons are truly well designed a mix between some challenge till mastered and fun for the causal player.

Challenge modes will challenge even the best of players while provide rewards out of reach for others.

But the pinnicale is raiding, Blizzard has heard and for the first time SINCE TBC the raiding is spot on, even the entry level raid currently available is beautiful the boss encounters diverse and difficult. None of the encounters are push overs the average player will find raiding absolutley amazing, while the hardcore will like always continue to clear ahead of others but will still enjoy the absolutely fantastic raid boss designs, where every member in the raid must play to their best of their abilities with an absolultey fantastic feeling of team work, an the casuals they will have their LFR to let them see the content at a simpler level.

MoP trulys 10/10 to all the haters, go back to your other mmo's and languish on your empty servers, the rest of us are in Pandaria enjoying what is truly the masterpiece of MMO's.

Graphics are stylized and fantastic
Monk class is fun and OP at the moment
Pet Battles are poke-awesome
Tillers faction is fun
Story is actually worth paying attention to for once
Panda's are no worse than Tauren or Murlcok and have great animation
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WoW after all this time is still WoW, take it or leave it
Monks start at level(giving a 10 to offset the children, deserves a 9)

Graphics are stylized and fantastic
Monk class is fun and OP at the moment
Pet Battles are poke-awesome
Tillers faction is fun
Story is actually worth paying attention to for once
Panda's are no worse than Tauren or Murlcok and have great animation
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WoW after all this time is still WoW, take it or leave it
Monks start at level ONE
Glyphs are better than ever
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Talent system replaced with boredom…Expand

Well look at that, bet you never thought WoW xpacs would become the same as CoD- just releasing the same game but with new skins. And like every year's CoD, the fanbois devour it and let Blizz in turn devour their money.
Vanilla WoW- fantastic for its time. BC- perhaps the height of mmos across the board. WotLK- sure, starting to weaken, but some great ideas like Wintergrasp and new pvpWell look at that, bet you never thought WoW xpacs would become the same as CoD- just releasing the same game but with new skins. And like every year's CoD, the fanbois devour it and let Blizz in turn devour their money.
Vanilla WoW- fantastic for its time. BC- perhaps the height of mmos across the board. WotLK- sure, starting to weaken, but some great ideas like Wintergrasp and new pvp types, and some fantastic dungeons like Ulduar which had fights that were challenging, accessible and enjoyable all at the same time.
Cataclysm was a mistake- but, at least it had some enjoyable parts like the new starting areas, and a story which while lacking any depth at least completely fit the game.

Pandaria is to WoW what Twilight is to vampires- a really bad fanfic of something otherwise at least decent. Sad thing is, Bella and Mister Sparkles is still a better love story than lol-Kung Fu Pandaren. I picked the game up because I'd grown frustrated and bored with the extreme repetition in GW2, and lack of endgame of SWTOR- but Pandaria quickly made both those games look godly in comparison. This and Diablo 3 have sealed it- Blizzard's dead, replaced by Activision, not unlike how EA killed Bioware- I have utterly lost interest in Titan if this is what we should expect from it.…Expand

......why do i have to buy this game because there no way they can do like wow 2 with HD and new look still same look toon over again again i wish they needed to do just like guild wars 2 not just patch evey time they do that i am not buy this add on game they more like DLC cost alot and game just lvl 85 to 90 it to much and go miss alll the other game too all they need to do is just......why do i have to buy this game because there no way they can do like wow 2 with HD and new look still same look toon over again again i wish they needed to do just like guild wars 2 not just patch evey time they do that i am not buy this add on game they more like DLC cost alot and game just lvl 85 to 90 it to much and go miss alll the other game too all they need to do is just remaster and renew story and remobel and better song and this time they really need add like HD video see more like forever Nintendo 64 game armor not seen good dude that waste of life time >.< come on guy look what guild wars did change to part 2 and remodel better wow did not seen bad idea to buy this game…Expand

To be fair I have to admit that I wasn't very optimistic about this expansion in the months before its release. I really was disappointed with Cataclysm and I really wasn't liking much of the news and developer posts that I was reading about Pandaria. I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised though. Pros:
+ The new lands are beautiful and if you're the time of person who loves doingTo be fair I have to admit that I wasn't very optimistic about this expansion in the months before its release. I really was disappointed with Cataclysm and I really wasn't liking much of the news and developer posts that I was reading about Pandaria. I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised though. Pros:
+ The new lands are beautiful and if you're the time of person who loves doing the quests like me then you'll be in heaven. + The stories and new Pandaria lore are really fun to follow. + The new cooking dailies where you have to grow food Farmville style are surprisingly fun and addictive. + Pet battles, a new system where your companion pets can duel against each other seems to be a new form of crack. Cons:
- I'm still not a fan of homogenizing the talent trees into a total of 5 talent choices once you're level 90. That's right, you have a total of 5 talents to choose from and even those choices really aren't all that different from one another. - Profession mats drop and spawn so abundantly that the mats are practically worthless only two weeks into the game. If you had fun working the auction house in the past you might be disappointed. - Mote and Spirit of Harmony (this expansion's Volatiles) are all BoP so again, there's no money to be made selling them on the auction house. - Justice and Valor point gear is exclusively sold by faction quartermasters now so you need to grind reputation in order to spend the points that you had to grind to earn. Basically if your on the fence about picking this up because you hated WotLK and Cataclysm I'd say that its worth picking up and giving it a shot. Like myself, you may be pleasantly surprised.…Expand

I thought it was pretty good. I have no idea how they expect this to last them for the next two years, as it didn't even attempt to re-invent the genre on any level. I'll play it as a single player experience for a month and then move on to something else, but if you see it from that perspective, it's good for a month I suppose. Great art, story, music, etc. Nothing wrong there. JustI thought it was pretty good. I have no idea how they expect this to last them for the next two years, as it didn't even attempt to re-invent the genre on any level. I'll play it as a single player experience for a month and then move on to something else, but if you see it from that perspective, it's good for a month I suppose. Great art, story, music, etc. Nothing wrong there. Just the overall design and direction on this MMO needs to reach some kind of paradigm shift and I'm not seeing it showing any signs of going there any time soon.…Expand

There's a lot of kids whining about how the game isn't what it used to be on here,, Minus them i think this should have a MUCH higher user score.
Band waggoning all over the shop, so i shall add my counter.

Did Blizzard hire a bunch of game designers from Zynga? Because that's what WoW feels like now. The heart of the whole endeavor is gone. It's not a matter of hardcore vs. casual -- it's all the design choices that have made it a colorful chatroom where you play minigames and wait for dungeons, instead of a virtual world. That's changing the entire project, from an MMORPG to somethingDid Blizzard hire a bunch of game designers from Zynga? Because that's what WoW feels like now. The heart of the whole endeavor is gone. It's not a matter of hardcore vs. casual -- it's all the design choices that have made it a colorful chatroom where you play minigames and wait for dungeons, instead of a virtual world. That's changing the entire project, from an MMORPG to something else...something more like a suite of FarmVille-type games. They could have catered to casual players without those types of changes.…Expand

I personally don't understand why this game has been score-dived so heavily. Despite the hitches most expansions experience during launch, Mists of Pandaria has put World of Warcraft back on track. By removing all of the pointless number-crunching rubbish in the game and instead focusing far more heavily on enemy tactics as well as emphasising on this idea of a continuous expansion whereI personally don't understand why this game has been score-dived so heavily. Despite the hitches most expansions experience during launch, Mists of Pandaria has put World of Warcraft back on track. By removing all of the pointless number-crunching rubbish in the game and instead focusing far more heavily on enemy tactics as well as emphasising on this idea of a continuous expansion where the main continent of Pandaria reshapes over the game's lifespan, it is far, far easier to be gripped by this Exp's far more involving story. Pandaria itself looks absolutely amazing and the Pandaren, although originally a bit gimmicky, where well delivered.
This expansion is head-over-heals better than Cataclysm and every bit as magic as TBC or WotLK when they both first launched.…Expand

I didn't want to buy this game, but I did. I got so excited about new zones that weren't streamlined so I gave in. For that, I figure the expansion was worth perhaps about $20 altogether with a free month. However, there is no free month and the cost of this expac was twice that. In the end the game became nothing more than a grind that is even worse than Cataclysm at level 90. TheI didn't want to buy this game, but I did. I got so excited about new zones that weren't streamlined so I gave in. For that, I figure the expansion was worth perhaps about $20 altogether with a free month. However, there is no free month and the cost of this expac was twice that. In the end the game became nothing more than a grind that is even worse than Cataclysm at level 90. The amount of dailies you will have to do, even after the nerfs to rep needed, will be quite high. These dailies will take you quite a bit of time and will help you eventually get some epic gear to raid with. But the problem isn't so much that as it is the talent system being once again revamped to an even more handheld version of its former self, the overly instanced world of warcraft, and CRZ zones which pretty much turns all zones into random groups of people who just compete for your stuff. It isn't an improvement on the game, but rather a step back. Sure there are more dungeons and heroics to level in and get nice loot, but it is all the same thing with new skins and set pieces to come crashing through on your aggressive romp to end game. The farming btw is also heavily gated since you need rep with the tillers and not to mention you have to wait a day til you can even grow anything. Honestly this annoys me. I have no interest in playing pokemon as well. So what do I do? I try the Scenarios to check out this new type of content and am let down yet again. These are essentially the older group quests but mobs have more health and can overwhelm you, if you die you just graveyard zerg back and try again. The challenge of this game in learning to play it and become good at it are by and large so far gone it is painful to try and remember what it once was. I say don't buy this. In fact don't ever support Blizzard again because at this point it is so blatantly obvious they are milking this game it is a wonder the community hasn't rioted.…Expand

I am a casual WoW player -- I play maybe a few hours per week when I get the chance. I almost always solo quests and I've never joined a guild. I play video games primarily to be entertained, not challenged. From my point of view, Mists of Pandaria is a fine expansion, perhaps the best to date. There are new zones and quests, and the Pandaren are a well-imagined new race with a cultureI am a casual WoW player -- I play maybe a few hours per week when I get the chance. I almost always solo quests and I've never joined a guild. I play video games primarily to be entertained, not challenged. From my point of view, Mists of Pandaria is a fine expansion, perhaps the best to date. There are new zones and quests, and the Pandaren are a well-imagined new race with a culture obviously drawn from medieval China and Japan. The Monk class is powerful, and many of the more tedious aspects of advancement in the game have been simplified (for example, at least for Monks, you no longer have to visit a trainer to learn new abilities when you level up). More intangibly, MoP has somehow brought back the sense of wonder and fun that made the original WoW, as well as the earlier single-player games, so appealing -- if the three previous expansions had a sort of dark, epic Lord of the Rings feel to them, MoP is more like The Hobbit. By taking itself less seriously, WoW has become more enjoyable. The only significant drawback is the graphics engine, which is definitely showing its age -- WoW will likely need massive upgrades in this regard if it is to continue for more than another year or two, especially after the next-generation consoles are released.…Expand

This is by far the best WoW Expansion IMO, the quest and story are amazing, actual cut scenes and voice overs with a set laid out story make this jsut amazing, combat is harder and it feels more like how the original wow was to me, the MUSIC is AMAZING the Asian themed music is so well done and makes you real feel the atmosphere of pandaria. If you are a true WOW fan and not one of theseThis is by far the best WoW Expansion IMO, the quest and story are amazing, actual cut scenes and voice overs with a set laid out story make this jsut amazing, combat is harder and it feels more like how the original wow was to me, the MUSIC is AMAZING the Asian themed music is so well done and makes you real feel the atmosphere of pandaria. If you are a true WOW fan and not one of these chavs giving the game a review of 0 because they are immature and have no love for rpg's then you will love this new expansion... 10/10 and the gfx are much nicer now with more polys.…Expand

This game is the boring same old, same old. Barely any new content (despite what others are saying). A reduced skill system and a declining player base make for a game that's dead in the water.

They needed to stop at WoTLK and maybe perhaps try to make another MMO. For those who are new to WoW and not familiar with what it "used" to be like and the old skill system which was farThis game is the boring same old, same old. Barely any new content (despite what others are saying). A reduced skill system and a declining player base make for a game that's dead in the water.

They needed to stop at WoTLK and maybe perhaps try to make another MMO. For those who are new to WoW and not familiar with what it "used" to be like and the old skill system which was far better.. this game will probably be gold to you.

If your a current or returning player, well you'd have to be a complete and utter fool to think this expansion is good and added anything new.…Expand

Blizzard has become a complete sell-out. The brand name is more than enough to make 1 million+ people purchase their games, so they can make ANYTHING and people will buy it. FYI Blizzard is owned by a French company now, and many, if not most of the people who were originally with the company have quit and formed their own companies... Wake up, smell the roses, "Blizzard" as we knew itBlizzard has become a complete sell-out. The brand name is more than enough to make 1 million+ people purchase their games, so they can make ANYTHING and people will buy it. FYI Blizzard is owned by a French company now, and many, if not most of the people who were originally with the company have quit and formed their own companies... Wake up, smell the roses, "Blizzard" as we knew it is no more, rather it is a shell of its former self. If you don't believe me, do some research on Google....…Expand

Blizzard dish out another winner - does Pandaria re-invent the genre? Hell no. But it gives the fans exactly what they want from a WoW expansion pack. Heaps of great new content, a new class, new dungeons, new raids, and some fun new features like pet battles, scenarios and challenge modes. If you play WoW, this is great. And if you don't, a WoW expansion isn't really relevant to you, is it?

Isn't this like Diablo3 simplified talent system for kids between ages 7-12 cartoony graphics. Cute panda bears for kids and of course you are able to play monk class. Similarity kung fu panda children movie is obvious. All time favourite is of course is implementing pokemon pets to game another feature that is bound to draw 7-12 years to play. After wotlk game has just been steadily beenIsn't this like Diablo3 simplified talent system for kids between ages 7-12 cartoony graphics. Cute panda bears for kids and of course you are able to play monk class. Similarity kung fu panda children movie is obvious. All time favourite is of course is implementing pokemon pets to game another feature that is bound to draw 7-12 years to play. After wotlk game has just been steadily been simplified cata was crap but at least had 10 points of talents to distribute "freely" ill bet pandaria is even more crap with cookie cutter abilities easily seen from really limited abilities. Really not worth about 60 euros to even test for month. Expensive and there are loads of better mmo games in market atm.…Expand

The mists part, revealing the lovely world of Pandaria. Epic landscapes and vistas encapsulate the screen, revealing the beauty and grace this expansion offers. Yes, the rep grinds are tough, talents are streamlined, and only having ground mounts until level 90 can be frustrating. However this expansion is brimming with extremely detailed environments, great questing lore, intriguingThe mists part, revealing the lovely world of Pandaria. Epic landscapes and vistas encapsulate the screen, revealing the beauty and grace this expansion offers. Yes, the rep grinds are tough, talents are streamlined, and only having ground mounts until level 90 can be frustrating. However this expansion is brimming with extremely detailed environments, great questing lore, intriguing characters, and variety in quests. Reputation is no longer earned with tabards for the main pandaria factions, and while many may say this is bad, its also keeps it interesting, and it can be much more rewarding when you do reach honored/revered/exalted. Rare spawns actually drop better loot, depending on their level, and the 40man world boss is very fun and challenging. Mists of Pandaria actually FEELS like an expansion, there is so much to do that its hard to become bored, and the Pandaren arent as cheesy as they look, but actually fit right in. My only massive gripe is the high-population log-in queue's, sometimes exceeding 2:30hrs to actually play, but otherwise, welcome to pandaria!!…Expand

First of all, the attack on negative reviewers by the majority of positive reviewers exposes the fact that it is a select minority, perhaps even company employees, creating multiple accounts to boost the games positive rating. The whole thing reeks of self-promotion. Secondly, the expansion has dumbed the game down to ridiculous proportions. Will this appeal to everyone? No, of course not.First of all, the attack on negative reviewers by the majority of positive reviewers exposes the fact that it is a select minority, perhaps even company employees, creating multiple accounts to boost the games positive rating. The whole thing reeks of self-promotion. Secondly, the expansion has dumbed the game down to ridiculous proportions. Will this appeal to everyone? No, of course not. However, those that enjoy the game? I do honestly hope you have a great time. The expansion to me feels tired, flat and the blatant rehash of game mechanics into simpler versions does little to help the enjoyment factor. While this next point is entirely down to social perspective, playing WoW now feels embarrassing due to the multitude of fuzzy pandas played by 10 year olds running around karate kicking things. As an adult, I can't take the game seriously anymore. I just can't. The pollution of the community is also offputting. Give children anonymitity and a feeling of invincibility behind a computer screen and, well, comment sections on Youtube are all the evidence needed.

Blizzard have taken the commercial route for more money over game quality and please, trying to deny this is like trying to say fish don't swim. In the interest of being fair, the Monk class is fun. On the whole however, MoP won't win back any loyal fans and certainly doesn't put Blizzard in a great light. I'd like to say at this point, I really don't like Guild Wars 2 either. The bottom line? WoW is dying a very slow death and the injection of botox that is MoP doesn't do anything to make its ultimate demise any more graceful. Just the same old tired formula. This kind of arrogance and disregard for quality simply shouldn't be encouraged.…Expand

Blizzard has crafted a truly amazing expansion with MoP. I am genuinely impressed with the level of detail that has gone into this game. The art-style surpasses almost anything else out there, on an engine that (at it's core) is more than 8 years old. The questing is the most fun I've had in any MMO, and the story-telling actually has me reading most of the quest text. I've been playingBlizzard has crafted a truly amazing expansion with MoP. I am genuinely impressed with the level of detail that has gone into this game. The art-style surpasses almost anything else out there, on an engine that (at it's core) is more than 8 years old. The questing is the most fun I've had in any MMO, and the story-telling actually has me reading most of the quest text. I've been playing off and on since Vanilla, so statistically I'm probably supposed to hate this game... but as far as I'm concerned it just keeps getting better.…Expand

After playing a vanilla wow private server and then playing this and comparing the two games, I can really say Blizzard has completely ruined wow, this game really sucks now and there's no point playing it. I used to be so addicted to this game , I would play every day and it was all I thought about, now it's a piece of crap.

Almost 90% of the negative reviews for this expansion are from accounts that were just created and have only reviewed this one game. This leads me to believe that it is a relatively small group of people making multiple accounts just to drive down MoP's meta score. As for the game itself, I think it's one of the best expansions that Blizzard has released thus far. It's on the same level asAlmost 90% of the negative reviews for this expansion are from accounts that were just created and have only reviewed this one game. This leads me to believe that it is a relatively small group of people making multiple accounts just to drive down MoP's meta score. As for the game itself, I think it's one of the best expansions that Blizzard has released thus far. It's on the same level as the Burning Crusade and definitely head and shoulders above Wrath and Cataclysm. The expansion adds a ton of content; A new race, new class, new continent, a pet battle system, and a personal garden for your characters to maintain a la Harvest Moon. The latter two are what is drawing the most flac from elitists. Oh no! Something else for players to do besides grind raid gear! The sky is falling! Seriously, this expansion is greatly entertaining and those whining for a return to the Vanilla / BC era are looking through some massive rose-tinted glasses. A game becoming more "casual" friendly is NOT a bad thing. Elitist snobs are actually throwing temper tantrums because Blizzard is making it possible for MORE people to see raid content. Yup, you read right. They are upset because they are no longer special little snowflakes and "less serious" players are now able to get their one exclusively 1337 gear. There are 324 negative reviews. Well, there are over 800 players in my Guild and Guild Alliance, and 90% of us think this expansion is great fun. Sure there are a few little things that could use tweaking (*cough*spawnratescough*) which is why I gave this expansion an 8 instead of a solid 10. If you just want to play WoW, see content, and get distracted by the multitude of things now in game go ahead and buy MoP. You'll get your money's worth out of it easily. If you think that EverQuest is the best MMO ever concieved, that every other game ever ripped off EverQuest (even ones that came before it!), and you think only the best of the best deserve to see end-game then you best stay away and let us "casuals" have our fun.…Expand

Blizzard as we knew it in its respectable glory days, is dead. I sure am glad WoW is getting more intricate and complex, OH WAIT, it's a simplified kiddy pile of crap. "War" "Craft" "Panda" YEAH real interesting collection of ideas for a game. Diablo III was amazing too. LOL

Seems like some kind of payed anti blizzard ppl are posting here. The day expansion launched, they all give 0/10 score.

Unfortunatelyy, this makes all this scores by users totally uselles.
Still, I found MoP much more entertaining than GW2. Quests are more fun, playing is much smoother (responsive of my character), the graphics changed so much (for better) for years. The new zoneSeems like some kind of payed anti blizzard ppl are posting here. The day expansion launched, they all give 0/10 score.

Unfortunatelyy, this makes all this scores by users totally uselles.

Still, I found MoP much more entertaining than GW2. Quests are more fun, playing is much smoother (responsive of my character), the graphics changed so much (for better) for years. The new zone looks really cool.

At least my realm (Grimm Batol EU) is full of players, at AH we have tons of items (over 80k atm), raids started this week and LFR starts next. I'm having a blats playing this expansion.

Just to compare - I'v played maybe 20hrs GE2 and made me bore so much i have not launch it since. I've played MoP like 80hrs already and having so much fun.

I was somehow afraid of pandas. Fortunate, the race is cool, in those bandannas they look badass, animations are fine. Plus in the new quests they fit perfectly, nothing seems odd, everything is good explained.…Expand

I actually think this expansion is quite good and it's the one to bring me back. Cataclysm was rather disappointing, but this expansion brings back the sense of exploration and wonder that I enjoyed to much with Wrath of the Lich King. I don't get why so many people hate it, but as with all internet trolls, they just hate stuff to hate stuff, really.

Great Story/Content. Beautiful new landscapes. Great new musical score to go along with the new lands. Scenarios are a nice break from the dungeon grind and allow you to queue for what are basically the group quests now. Overall it is one of the best expansions since BC.

Honestly, my wife and I haven't had this much fun playing WoW together in years. We love the new island, and I am totally in love with the Monk class. I would probably rate this game an 8. Its a great step forward for the series. They've updated a lot of things, but there's some things that are still pretty old and tired. The graphics for the old races for example could use some loving.Honestly, my wife and I haven't had this much fun playing WoW together in years. We love the new island, and I am totally in love with the Monk class. I would probably rate this game an 8. Its a great step forward for the series. They've updated a lot of things, but there's some things that are still pretty old and tired. The graphics for the old races for example could use some loving. There needs to be even better ways to group with friends who are lower level to keep them interested in the game (I loved CoH/CoV adjusted level grouping). However, I think the redesign is more than slapping lipstick on a pig, they've gone through a long process and eliminated a lot of the boring utility stuff and given us a bunch of fun, cool abilities. The questing and storyline for pandaria is a bit static, however, none of your choices really matter the way SWTOR made your stories seem to matter. That being said I was enthralled to see the stories unfold, and it made me care about what was going on in the land of Pandaria more and more. The immersive effect is helped by a great musical score and superb voice acting. I was very dissappointed with the quality of the voice acting in Cataclysm, so the new stuff was very refreshing and helped draw me into the story.

So far, the new dungeons and new challenges and scenarios are fun. I like how you can still have the lower difficulty stuff for casuals but there are challenges (gold medaling dungeon runs) for more advanced people to test themselves against. I like how these challenges are getting players to be more creative in their approach.

As I say, I would give this game an 8/10 except apparently a bunch of Guildwars 2 fanboys came over to metacritic to crap all over this game for no reason. So I'll give it a 10/10 to help try and correct this bias. Really guys, its not mature to be dishonest about a game simply because you are a fan of a competitor.…Expand

Mists of Pandaria is a very nice looking expansion. After getting my hands on a beta copy though, I discovered that I ran out of original play content within three weeks of very casual play. There is a lot of padding to the game, but if you are interested in seeing new things, and not just the same things at higher difficulty, repeated daily, or with a stop watch, then this expansionMists of Pandaria is a very nice looking expansion. After getting my hands on a beta copy though, I discovered that I ran out of original play content within three weeks of very casual play. There is a lot of padding to the game, but if you are interested in seeing new things, and not just the same things at higher difficulty, repeated daily, or with a stop watch, then this expansion offers under a month of new content. For a game with a price tag of approximately 65$ for a month of play time and the expansion I expected much more.
Ignoring the excessive play time padding measures that launched with the game a potential buyer should also consider changes in customization options. Talent trees are gone replaced with a small amount of mostly cosmetic ability decisions, I recommend looking at their online talent calculator to see if it provides you with what you are looking for in customization. Gear selection has taken another hit as well. After the decrease in options introduced back when players were given a strong incentive to avoid the gear types of other classes took a major cut in to gearing options, Blizzard has decided to push even harder in to that ideology. Now, gear choices are made for you throughout leveling, often giving you one reward option, that can be changed if you change specs before turning it in. Afterward leveling, there is one correct loot choice for each slot for each class that can be easily determined by checking item level armor type and main stat. It looks like Blizzard took the old joke of having one stat "power" and ran with it, making that only the second joke to become a major offering of this new installment.…Expand

The new talent system is terrible. Sure, the majority of people used cookie cutter builds with the old system, but at least you had a choice. Now you are FORCED into a cookie cutter build. The monk class is boring. The new quests are dumbed down to the max (just like everything else). Graphics are terrible. Story is laughably childish. The pandas look ridiculous, and again extremelyThe new talent system is terrible. Sure, the majority of people used cookie cutter builds with the old system, but at least you had a choice. Now you are FORCED into a cookie cutter build. The monk class is boring. The new quests are dumbed down to the max (just like everything else). Graphics are terrible. Story is laughably childish. The pandas look ridiculous, and again extremely childish. A very sub-par expansion, and not the quality you would expect from the Blizzard of old.…Expand

The monk is fun. The graphics are beautiful. The talent system is no longer a Pavlovian illusion of choice. The community is strong and varied. The newbie zones aren't ghost lands anymore and the pvp has returned to the world. The leveling experience has been streamlined - although in some ways it is now like a solo rocket to max level instead of a journey - which is why I knocked it off 1The monk is fun. The graphics are beautiful. The talent system is no longer a Pavlovian illusion of choice. The community is strong and varied. The newbie zones aren't ghost lands anymore and the pvp has returned to the world. The leveling experience has been streamlined - although in some ways it is now like a solo rocket to max level instead of a journey - which is why I knocked it off 1 point. To those that feel the game is the 'same ol' same ol' - I agree it is still wow. They didn't change how the game is played. But, in my opinion, I didn't want a 'new' game, in the same way that I don't want them to change how baseball is played from season to season. It has expanded the current game, hence the term 'expansion'. They don't change the rules of baseball just because there is a new season do they?…Expand

I remember my DM from back in the day going gaga over the AD&D 2e Oriental Adventures book and I was not digging it at all. I was very much hardcore into Norse mythology and indeed that's what first drawed me into WoW. So when I first heard of this expansion I was incredibly turned off. That said, I've taken to MoP quite well. To me it seems like a really interesting concept, aI remember my DM from back in the day going gaga over the AD&D 2e Oriental Adventures book and I was not digging it at all. I was very much hardcore into Norse mythology and indeed that's what first drawed me into WoW. So when I first heard of this expansion I was incredibly turned off. That said, I've taken to MoP quite well. To me it seems like a really interesting concept, a completely cut off land from the conflict that has ravaged the rest of Azeroth. Reminds me a lot of the relationship between D&D Forgotten Realms and Al-Qadim (they were both part of the same campaign setting, though treated as two different entities in printed adventures while the most interesting adventures to me was when we brought in assassins from Al-Qadim into Forgotten Realms or plundering Drows into the deserts of Al-Qadim). That type of clash really adds a lot for me to the scope of the world in the game.

The game itself is both familiar and new, fun and satisfying. I dig the new monk class and the new Pandarian race. The new skill system, though it irked me at first, I actually prefer now after a few days. I picked up Guild Wars 2 thinking it would easily be my favorite mmo experience this year. I was pleasantly surprised in picking up MoP because it totally made up for Guild Wars 2.…Expand

I love all the QQ's about this game, i been a player for 6 years now and this is the best expansion in my opinion(now granted i didnt do end game content for BC so i cant judge on that) All i ever hear is people say "it seems like they made this game for kids" Are you all forgetting your playing a video game? of course its going to be focused on a younger crowd........ WoW has always hadI love all the QQ's about this game, i been a player for 6 years now and this is the best expansion in my opinion(now granted i didnt do end game content for BC so i cant judge on that) All i ever hear is people say "it seems like they made this game for kids" Are you all forgetting your playing a video game? of course its going to be focused on a younger crowd........ WoW has always had a childish theme to it. The content is SO much better than Cata, leveling has not been a complete drag to me yet which is a complete breathe of fresh air. And to those that say its dumbed down, 10 bucks says 3/4 of you went onto elitest jerks and tried to find the best build for your class and spec cause i know i sure did. So don't preach about how it impacted your play style and blah blah blah cause in reality it did not really effect you at all. All i hear is ohhhh i want it back to the way it was and end game to be ridiculously hard core. Well you all need to realize Blizzard is a BUSINESS and needs to do what they feel is best for their product......... Don't like it? Then end your subscription and go play something else, but im sure most of the negative reviewers here are already level 90. I love MoP and will be a long time WoW fan.…Expand

It's hard to believe that I'm writing positive things about a Blizzard product after the last few years, but here it is. MoP has landed and it's actually a decent expansion. This time the skill remake (at least for my character) is really good. I enjoy my warlock again, something that Cataclysm took and broke again and again. The new skill selection is interesting and it affords youIt's hard to believe that I'm writing positive things about a Blizzard product after the last few years, but here it is. MoP has landed and it's actually a decent expansion. This time the skill remake (at least for my character) is really good. I enjoy my warlock again, something that Cataclysm took and broke again and again. The new skill selection is interesting and it affords you the ability to change your skills on the fly because the reagent needed to do so is inexpensive to the point of being insignificant. This actually opens the game up, rather than restricting it like people who aren't playing write in the negative reviews. You get to choose 6 abilities at a time from a pool of 18 that you can change whenever you want to without needing to visit a trainer. That's variety and accessibility on a scale never before seen in WoW. The new dungeons are enjoyable yet challenging while they're new. They aren't hard like dungeons were at the start of Cataclysm, but they aren't trivial like they were at the end (though honestly they will be by the end of this xpac, such is life in WoW). The new things to do like pet battles get you out into the world and dungeon challenge modes offer competitive PvE for players in addition to raiding. PvP is still there in several different varieties (although, I took a point off for Blizzard putting the gear vendors where they did, making them killable and saying they thought that was a good idea. It wasn't a good idea Blizzard, not at all). All in all there is more to do in MoP than there ever has been in all of WoW's history and the things that have kept the game going all this time like spot on controls, modability, accessibility and stability are all still there.…Expand

Really enjoying this new expansion. Have played since day one up until now. I actually think the Panderans are great, their animations are superb and I love the new Monk class. I also think the new talent system is way better as it cuts out all the lvls were you pick something pointless.
Hoping the raid content will be good as all the other things. If you liked WoW before, chances are youReally enjoying this new expansion. Have played since day one up until now. I actually think the Panderans are great, their animations are superb and I love the new Monk class. I also think the new talent system is way better as it cuts out all the lvls were you pick something pointless.
Hoping the raid content will be good as all the other things. If you liked WoW before, chances are you will like this. Plenty of people who said they wouldn't play it are back levelling.…Expand

7/10 - Played from 20 hours after launch. This was the smoothest expansion launch in the history of WoW, no lag, no server crashes, no wait-list to log on. If you had an active account and logged on during the prior month then you already had patch 5.0 installed and upgrading via digital purchase would only take about a minute to patch the game.The expansion quest line starts out with a7/10 - Played from 20 hours after launch. This was the smoothest expansion launch in the history of WoW, no lag, no server crashes, no wait-list to log on. If you had an active account and logged on during the prior month then you already had patch 5.0 installed and upgrading via digital purchase would only take about a minute to patch the game.The expansion quest line starts out with a really cartoon-ish looking cut-scene. WoW has always been cartoon-ish, but this was extra cartoon-ey. The voice-acting had lots of emotion but was very Saturday morning cartoon-like. Thankfully, once you get past the first couple of quests the game is more Asian themed with nice meditative Zen-like music than cartoon-ey. The pandas are cute in a "Winnie the Pooh" kind of way, with their big bellies and loving to eat and drink beer. Even the evil witch Panda you meet in the first zone looks really cute and cuddly. But the graphics of the Pandas and the scenery look really well done. For better or worse, this feels like a completely different game than earlier WoW expansions. Most of the quests are your standard WoW quests, talk to an NPC read a bunch of text (or ignore it if you want lol) and go collect stuff, kill stuff talk to other NPCs, etc. The bombing quest you do at the start seemed really dumbed down from previous expansions. I've come across at least two instances where there were too many players and things weren't spawning fast enough and I had to compete with same-faction players for item nodes. I've heard some guildies also complaining about the same thing in other zones I have yet to visit and one even logged off in frustration being unable to complete her quest due to to many players being around, this is unusual for Blizzard usually the stuff spawns more frequently when there are more players around, but they seemed to have it tuned too low this expansion. Some of the questing bosses do not have tagging so you can cooperate to kill them with other players, but not most stuff. I've come across quite a few evasion bugs where you attack something and it starts evading you for no reason, normally I wouldn't mention it but since people are cutting other games up for bugs often on Metacritic I'll mention it here. There was also a bugged boss in a regular dungeon where we had to quit the instance because we couldn't continue. I'm sure Blizzard will fix these things over the next month or so though. Questing is still fairly linear but less so than Cataclysm. The best way is to describe it as a tree, where you start out doing a linear quest chain (trunk) but later it splits and you choose between 3 quest hubs (branches) to do in what ever order you want. There is no flying in Pandaria until level 90 cap, feels weird at first but you get used to it after a bit.I've run two regular dungeons. The aesthetics are very nice. The boss fights are interesting, you have to dodge spinning water spouts, jump into bubbles and float, etc., much more interesting than tank and spank. The greens you find start out around ilvl 372-384 so you won't be replacing your Dragon Soul tier set with them. However, if you run a regular dungeon the blues that drop on iLvl 410 so say goodbye quickly to your Dragon Soul tier set if you run dungeons. Between the random drops and dungeon quest rewards I replaced 4 of my iLvl 397-403 set from normal/heroic Dragon soul with new gear during my very first level 85 Pandaria dungeon run -- Way to make my hard-earned raid gear immediately worthless again Blizzard :/ Overall, so far not a bad expansion, but nothing special after playing Lotro, Guild Wars 2 beta and The Secret World (an amazing MMO imo), etc.. I plan to level to at least get a look at end game but not sure if I'll be subscribing again in the long run.…Expand

There is definitely way too much "QQ" over this game for illogical reasons.

Mists is definitely the smartest expansion from Blizzard. Some of the more pointless things in the game, such as hunters using mana, casting time on slam, healers using talent points for dispells, Soul Shards in bags, reagents for spells and grinding keys to enter dungeons are gone. The reason? Simply becauseThere is definitely way too much "QQ" over this game for illogical reasons.

Mists is definitely the smartest expansion from Blizzard. Some of the more pointless things in the game, such as hunters using mana, casting time on slam, healers using talent points for dispells, Soul Shards in bags, reagents for spells and grinding keys to enter dungeons are gone. The reason? Simply because they went against the shaping of the game. Warriors should never be casting. You shouldn't need to grind an item just to get into a dungeon. Etc.

The talent point system was in dire need of being revamped. PvP-wise, several classes were forced into one spec for viability, but now all specs share common qualities, giving a more diverse environment. There was never any freedom with the old system. During WotLK, it was still a basic cookie cutter and it was just as worse in Cata. When you see a lock, warrior, shaman...you could be facing any spec. There are numerous combinations. Blizzard has gone back to it's TBC/WotLK days, where you level on a separate continent with distinct zones so you can finish a zone, obtain one level, and then move on to the next zone, which definitely makes you feel more involved with the expansion rather than questing, leveling, taking a portal to a new place, and repeating the process all over again.

Speaking of leveling, the grind for 85 to 90 is horrendous. Casually playing, it took something like 5-8 hours per level. The diverse zones make it slightly bearable, but everyone in my guild and on my server complained about the length. However, most people can relate to the grind from the original 1 to 60 before we had Looking For Dungeons. People asked for a harder game, and the grind was perfect in terms of The new raids are definitely going to leave some people puzzled. The architecture for Vaults is painstakingly similar to Ulduar. There is a similar trash grind that resets if you fail to kill a boss, and the bosses offer a much stronger complexity (which you will have to judge for yourself). Whereas last expansion, almost all guilds burned through the entire normal tier without any effort, only 3 guilds on my server have down the first 3 bosses, and there is only 1 guild in the world who has finished all 6...and this is just normal mode.

The game is different and time will tell how this expansion goes. There's definitely a number of things to do and it offers a strong hand to casuals and hardcore alike. I give it a 9 because I do not think Blizzard will ever outdo themselves and return to their 12 million subs. The content is fun and enjoyable, the mechanics are new, and it definitely seemed like a more "close-to-home" expansion that it's predecessor. World of Warcraft is far from "dying" and it's the top MMO for another year.

Typical reviews on here are just plain wrong and lack any intellectual thought. I'm writing this one one day after content was released, so if you're ready any of the reviews before October 2nd, you are reading reviews of people who have yet to touch the new raids, compete in arenas, try out new BG's, and so forth. Basically, you're reading the reviews of people who haven't even played this game yet. That is no way to judge a game.…Expand

This isn't World of Warcraft anymore that game died with Wotlk. With the streamlining of of everything from talents to forming parties this has just became a shell of what it once was. No reason to encourage this kind of mentality.

Activision was the death of blizzard as we once knew them. Everything they release is an obvious attempt at getting as much money from the consumer as possible. This isn't as bad as diablo 3, but it's a very close second. Nothing innovative with this expansion. Hit the level cap in a day or two, and back to the same old stuff. Sorry but this wasn't fun during WOTLK and it isn't now.

THE GOOD: Expansive, highly detailed zones; probably the best in WoW yet. Improved details in graphics (greater luminosity and spell effects). Great soundtrack that will encourage you to put WoW music on again. Very fun (and humorous) quests that make creative use of the tools the engine has at its disposal. LOTS of endgame content; dungeons are very impressive, and Challenge Mode givesTHE GOOD: Expansive, highly detailed zones; probably the best in WoW yet. Improved details in graphics (greater luminosity and spell effects). Great soundtrack that will encourage you to put WoW music on again. Very fun (and humorous) quests that make creative use of the tools the engine has at its disposal. LOTS of endgame content; dungeons are very impressive, and Challenge Mode gives PvE players a more direct competition with other people. Voice overs are definitely a big improvement over Cataclysm. Monk class is very interesting and fun. Pandaren animations are great. Involving storylines that make you feel like a special snowflake. --------- THE BAD: Overhauled talent system makes leveling feel a bit hollow. A few buggy issues with phasing. ---------- THE UGLY: People will find any reason to hate WoW at this point. Internet chest thumpers are predisposed to hating this game simply because of the Pandaren race. Pet monster mini-game will get a lot of comparisons with Pokemon, although no one has yet criticized Polymock in GW2. (isn't selective journalism great? lol) --------- FIRST IMPRESSIONS: WoW's age is definitely showing, but the efforts put into developing Mists of Pandaria truly shows and gives long-time Blizzard fans a reason to pick up the game again. It's sad that people are judging the game so harshly without even trying it and realizing how much fun it is. FINAL VERDICT COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE.…Expand

Believe me I understand the desire to score bomb a game, the joy we feel when we dump a 0/10 on a game on the basis of any whim we like. I do it all the time. However this expansion goes some way to extending the life and joy of WOW. It really is a breath of fresh air in a pretty stale, slowly sinking game. Dumbed down? Yep! Childish? Yep! Cutesy? Yep! Fun???? YEP! Truth be known theBelieve me I understand the desire to score bomb a game, the joy we feel when we dump a 0/10 on a game on the basis of any whim we like. I do it all the time. However this expansion goes some way to extending the life and joy of WOW. It really is a breath of fresh air in a pretty stale, slowly sinking game. Dumbed down? Yep! Childish? Yep! Cutesy? Yep! Fun???? YEP! Truth be known the hard-core veterans of WOW with their unending sense of superiority have got to get over themselves. Maybe its time for you all to graduate to a 'serious MMO' like EVE, and let a new generation get their panda buzz for however long WOW stays afloat. The days of vanilla WOW have long passed, and this is almost different enough to be a totally different game. Assets and story are well constructed. Gameplay is enjoyable. Except for monthly fees this really is a game for kids these days. Time for the elitists to move on to fresh pastures.…Expand

Every expansion has breathed new features and new life into WoW. This one doesn't. It simplifies the game to the point of absurdity, offers nothing to improve on the dated, now-ugly graphics and effects, and offers nothing compelling we haven't seen and done before. The new race isn't interesting, the new zones aren't interesting, and the new class is slightly interesting. Once you getEvery expansion has breathed new features and new life into WoW. This one doesn't. It simplifies the game to the point of absurdity, offers nothing to improve on the dated, now-ugly graphics and effects, and offers nothing compelling we haven't seen and done before. The new race isn't interesting, the new zones aren't interesting, and the new class is slightly interesting. Once you get to the new level cap, which takes practically no time whatsoever, you'll be treated to...easy end-game that, frankly, isn't very interesting. If you're addicted to WoW, you'll undoubtedly buy this. If not, just pass. There are so many MMOs out there now offering different features and playstyles, there's really no reason to play this one anymore.…Expand

I have to say, its pretty good. I thought I was done with WoW, as I was burnt out and also pretty upset with Blizzard. This almost makes up for how bad Diablo 3 turned out. Cata lost me, as I felt like it shouldn't have even been an expansion but rather a free "refresh." I rolled my eyes like millions of others when they announced Pandaria, but you know what? I rolled my eyes when Kung FuI have to say, its pretty good. I thought I was done with WoW, as I was burnt out and also pretty upset with Blizzard. This almost makes up for how bad Diablo 3 turned out. Cata lost me, as I felt like it shouldn't have even been an expansion but rather a free "refresh." I rolled my eyes like millions of others when they announced Pandaria, but you know what? I rolled my eyes when Kung Fu panda came out, and I wound up liking the stupid movie. I went ahead and gave MoP a chance, and found myself having more fun with WoW than I had in a long while.

The new talent system is weird, and certainly boring for someone just starting to level, but I get what they were trying to do.

The graphics options are much improved. The new areas are interesting. We get a new race and new class.

I think people need to realize that there's only so much you can do with a game this old. And I don't mean the graphics. After playing the same MMO for 6 years, how can you not be tired of it? How can you not be tired of the genre itself? Maybe its time to move on. I get some players are angry that the game is easier or more casual, and that they feel betrayed, but I for one am happy the game is less of a grind. I just want to have fun. I don't want to sacrifice large chunks of my life to any single game. And to all the hate on the FMV, well, I want this one was the best they've done yet. I've never thought they were amazing or worth watching twice, but this one was technically very impressive and amusing. I've seen people comment that they were offended that this strange new race would be attacked without cause. Well lighten up, it was amusing, and it makes a pretty accurate statement on human (or orc) nature.

So no, its not perfect, or revolutionary, and I ought to vote it higher to compensate for extremists ( a zero? Really? Did you buy one of the display boxes by mistake?) but I think its a solid 8, and a pleasant surprise.…Expand

Although it's not perfect, Mists of Pandaria certainly provides a relaxed but more fun setting to enjoy. Graphics make the game different and more voice acting and cut-scenes make it more interesting to play. For me, the real enjoyment comes from the feeling of that adventure that you had back in the old times. Great expansion, but there could have been a lot more things implemented toAlthough it's not perfect, Mists of Pandaria certainly provides a relaxed but more fun setting to enjoy. Graphics make the game different and more voice acting and cut-scenes make it more interesting to play. For me, the real enjoyment comes from the feeling of that adventure that you had back in the old times. Great expansion, but there could have been a lot more things implemented to make it even better.…Expand

When a company decides to make an easter egg in warcraft III the new mighty race of Azeroth, it kinda shows how Cata was indeed the end of the world. The pandas don't fit in this universe, and the pokemon pet system doesn't help. This isn't azeroth anymore, this is rainbow and unicorns land. Let your 12 year old kid play it and move on.

I've played WOW since vanilla, I'm a guild leader, heroic raid leader/tank. I have already got 2 level 90's and 10+ 85's. This game is simply out of date and therefore scores 0 as its no longer relevant to the genre. The developer ruined Diablo now they are in the process of ruining Warcraft. This expansion is obviously a blatant marketing campaign to garner support in Asia. I am not aI've played WOW since vanilla, I'm a guild leader, heroic raid leader/tank. I have already got 2 level 90's and 10+ 85's. This game is simply out of date and therefore scores 0 as its no longer relevant to the genre. The developer ruined Diablo now they are in the process of ruining Warcraft. This expansion is obviously a blatant marketing campaign to garner support in Asia. I am not a fan of Pandas nor Asian architecture. I am a fan of dragons, undead knights and a struggle between good and evil BUT I am forced to eat humble pie by a company that I wont give any of my money to. Guild Wars 2 - modern, more mature player base, sane designers. Mists of Pandaria you are such a disappointing end to whats been a great ride.…Expand

I don't understand how so many people blindly rate it below 4 just out of shear emotion. I thought it was decent launch, it had lag issues for about 3-4 hours and it was perfectly fine after. I have done quite a bit in the game so far (level to 90, heroics and challenge modes)

Not perfect but much better then most of these derps reviewing will have you believe giving it a zero who have never played it because they don't like pandas and or feel its ripping off pokemon is just stupid.

It's too early to judge but I think this might be WoW's best expansion. New things I love: 1) CRZs (world pvp is back plus my medium pop server doesn't feel empty in low and mid level zones), 2) Pet battles! They make leveling in WoW more fun than it ever was. 3) The new talent system. For the first time I can actually pick the talents myself and not have to read a site to find the 1-2It's too early to judge but I think this might be WoW's best expansion. New things I love: 1) CRZs (world pvp is back plus my medium pop server doesn't feel empty in low and mid level zones), 2) Pet battles! They make leveling in WoW more fun than it ever was. 3) The new talent system. For the first time I can actually pick the talents myself and not have to read a site to find the 1-2 viable specs for my class. Some things I haven't tried yet: The monk (only level 15), Pandaria, raiding, new dungeons, bgs and arenas, PvP balance. I will probably edit this review in 2-3 months, but I had to counter all those negative reviews from GW2 fanboys and Blizz haters, because MoP doesn't deserve such a low score. (btw I played wotlk for 3 months and cata for 1 (I didn't like where WoW was heading in the last 4-5 years), I'm not even close to a wow fanboy)…Collapse

Another solid addition to World of Warcraft. The game may have changed since the good old days, yet it still manages to entertain. Play it for what it is now, not what it used to be, and you'll have fun. Blow out the new 5 levels, run some dungeons, say hi to old friends, then park your main again for a few years till next expansion. lol This is simply the cycle of aging mmo's.Another solid addition to World of Warcraft. The game may have changed since the good old days, yet it still manages to entertain. Play it for what it is now, not what it used to be, and you'll have fun. Blow out the new 5 levels, run some dungeons, say hi to old friends, then park your main again for a few years till next expansion. lol This is simply the cycle of aging mmo's. Seriously..everyquest has 20 expansions now...and still a core base of people that play. If you don't wanna play, then dont :) WOW will never be the same game as it was, but then again..would you want it to be?…Expand

Good quests, zone design, artwork, and new features are the strong point of this expansion. Those who are wanting an interesting leveling experience, colorful zones and dungeons, and new lore will not be disappointed by this expansion. Compared to the sometimes dull and rehashed zones in Cataclysm, the new zones are a breath of fresh air that harken back to the zone design of WotLK. TheGood quests, zone design, artwork, and new features are the strong point of this expansion. Those who are wanting an interesting leveling experience, colorful zones and dungeons, and new lore will not be disappointed by this expansion. Compared to the sometimes dull and rehashed zones in Cataclysm, the new zones are a breath of fresh air that harken back to the zone design of WotLK. The accompanying music has an appropriate oriental feel mixed with the oldschool tunes of Warcraft 3, which they seem to be trying to bring back in to the game. I thought the pet battles would be a somewhat amusing side feature, and was surprised to learn how in-depth they went in to creating that system and its content. If you liked Pokémon, you'll probably get some fun out of the pet battle system. Don't look for the same amount of depth, however. The pandas have an interesting and sometimes amusing story. If you're looking for a dead serious, no-funny-business, don't play the Pandarian race. There's still plenty to keep you entertained that's not your cup of tea, however. This expansion loses points for the sometimes overly silly and cheesy quest and cinematic content and dialogue. Sometimes it seems like some sort of weird comedy in certain parts. I found myself groaning out loud in certain areas.…Expand

TheThird
Sep 25, 2012
8
Good quests, zone design, artwork, and new features are the strong point of this expansion. Those who are wanting an interesting leveling experience, colorful zones and dungeons, and new lore will not be disappointed by this expansion. Compared to the sometimes dull and rehashed zones in Cataclysm, the new zones are a breath of fresh air that harken back to theTheThird
Sep 25, 2012
8
Good quests, zone design, artwork, and new features are the strong point of this expansion. Those who are wanting an interesting leveling experience, colorful zones and dungeons, and new lore will not be disappointed by this expansion. Compared to the sometimes dull and rehashed zones in Cataclysm, the new zones are a breath of fresh air that harken back to the zone design of WotLK. The accompanying music has an appropriate oriental feel mixed with the oldschool tunes of Warcraft 3, which they seem to be trying to bring back in to the game. I thought the pet battles would be a somewhat amusing side feature, and was surprised to learn how in-depth they went in to creating that system and its content. If you liked Pokémon, you'll probably get some fun out of the pet battle system. Don't look for the same amount of depth, however. The pandas have an interesting and sometimes amusing story. If you're looking for a dead serious, no-funny-business, don't play the Pandarian race. There's still plenty to keep you entertained that's not your cup of tea, however. This expansion loses points for the sometimes overly silly and cheesy quest and cinematic content and dialogue. Sometimes it seems like some sort of weird comedy in certain parts. I found myself groaning out loud in certain areas.…Expand

Once again Blizzard goes backwards. World of Warcraft mist of Pandaria has been dumbed down so much it feels more like Kitty online then actually world of warcraft. If you are between 2 and 6 years old this game is for you

Pet duels? Pandas? What the heck is this crap. After the fiasco that is DIablo 3, this game seals it for Blizzard's demise. The collector's edition is ok, but the included digital addons for their other games are just a major disappointment.

A lot of people are comparing the new pet battles to Pokemon.......well that is insulting to Pokemon! The pet battle system is like an ultra dumbed down version of Pokemon. Of course rest of the xpac is pretty lame, but that's obvious.

Everything about this expansion is sub-par. Can't believe they put this much effort into making WoW worse. It's obvious their target demographic is now children and those who aren't used to playing games of any kind. Thankfully there are much better mmos out there for the adult gamer. The Pandas look EXTREMELY stupid and out of place.

Complete rip off of Age of Bronan's Gates of Khitai expansion, but with pandas and Pokemon battles.

This game was much better back when people who aren't as good as me couldn't access the majority of the endgame content. Playing a mage in Sunwell was truly the height of my World of Warcraft experience. Metzen needs to put down the writing quill and dedicate all of his time doing what heComplete rip off of Age of Bronan's Gates of Khitai expansion, but with pandas and Pokemon battles.

This game was much better back when people who aren't as good as me couldn't access the majority of the endgame content. Playing a mage in Sunwell was truly the height of my World of Warcraft experience. Metzen needs to put down the writing quill and dedicate all of his time doing what he does best: grooming his immaculate goatee.

If you've been loving WoW for the last 8 years like me, then you'll love this one too. There is a ton more endgame content right out of the box. the soundtrack is also beautiful again. just fun all around. if you didn't like wow before then you probably won't like this, so go back to guild wars 2.

Blizzard must have lost all of its competent employees, because the games they are putting out now are awful. Diablo was a thinly veiled excuse to funnel real money out of the auction house. This expansion for Wow is just a further dumbing down of the franchise to maximize cash whilst minimizing actual substance. This poor MMO needs to be euthanized and Blizzard's IPs need to be rescuedBlizzard must have lost all of its competent employees, because the games they are putting out now are awful. Diablo was a thinly veiled excuse to funnel real money out of the auction house. This expansion for Wow is just a further dumbing down of the franchise to maximize cash whilst minimizing actual substance. This poor MMO needs to be euthanized and Blizzard's IPs need to be rescued before they are all destroyed.…Expand

Great graphics, great quests, WTF are you talking about! The questing is so horrid then I might as well watch "my little pony: friendship is magic". Nothing really new on the xpac. If i wanted to play pokemon, I would rather bust out my DSi and play my pokemon white. I'm not paying 15 dollars a month so i can farm when I have farmville, which is free by the way. Even the skill tree wasGreat graphics, great quests, WTF are you talking about! The questing is so horrid then I might as well watch "my little pony: friendship is magic". Nothing really new on the xpac. If i wanted to play pokemon, I would rather bust out my DSi and play my pokemon white. I'm not paying 15 dollars a month so i can farm when I have farmville, which is free by the way. Even the skill tree was dumbed down, as if blizzard would think I'm incapable of making my own choices. The pandas are alright, but having mine standing by a human makes me think I'm playing a disney game.…Expand

This games looks fantastic. This is hands down the most beautiful expansion to date. I know there has been lots of complaints about this being a happy or childish expansion, but I must say I am very happy they went with something different. I enjoy the bright colours and beautiful scenery. The quests have all been very enjoyable thus far. I do not see any reason this game should be scoringThis games looks fantastic. This is hands down the most beautiful expansion to date. I know there has been lots of complaints about this being a happy or childish expansion, but I must say I am very happy they went with something different. I enjoy the bright colours and beautiful scenery. The quests have all been very enjoyable thus far. I do not see any reason this game should be scoring this low. Give it a try. You will enjoy it.…Expand

Cross Realm Zones makes up 95% of this low score. The fact that Blizzard is effectively ignoring the immersion and playability bugs as well as the 20,000+ posts detailing the issues represents the other 5%.
Once CRZ goes live in Pandaria, a "dailies gated rep grind", expect more low scores as players jump realms & fight over the few resources available... The MOP music was very well doneCross Realm Zones makes up 95% of this low score. The fact that Blizzard is effectively ignoring the immersion and playability bugs as well as the 20,000+ posts detailing the issues represents the other 5%.
Once CRZ goes live in Pandaria, a "dailies gated rep grind", expect more low scores as players jump realms & fight over the few resources available... The MOP music was very well done anyway...…Expand

Tons and tons of Asian atmosphere in this new expansion. The new continent of Pandaria is the most beautiful place made in the world of Azeroth and I applaud the designers who can squeeze so much artistry out of an 8+ year old game engine.
The game has been made more accessible for new players while giving the hard core players more challenges with the introduction of challenge modes.Tons and tons of Asian atmosphere in this new expansion. The new continent of Pandaria is the most beautiful place made in the world of Azeroth and I applaud the designers who can squeeze so much artistry out of an 8+ year old game engine.
The game has been made more accessible for new players while giving the hard core players more challenges with the introduction of challenge modes. This expansion gives all gamer types something to do: casual gamers can have fun with pet battles and scenarios which don't take up much time while the hardcore crowd can build up their character by doing hundreds of daily quests, instances, challenge modes to get ready to raid.
The new race is endearing with their Asian flair and cute looks and the new class is a welcome addition to the other 10. The quests are top notch and made me laugh on more than one occasion. The typical blizzard humor can also be found in the Instances. If a dungeon where you can battle drunken monkey creatures and beer spirits doesn't make you chuckle then life must be a very sour experience for you indeed. Never since the BC and WotLK days have enjoyed WoW this much. A very nice recovery from a mediocre Catacllysm.
To all the jaded haters I say: If you're fed up with wow go play something else. I expect you'll soon find something new you can spew your bile on.…Expand

It's too early to judge but I think this might be WoW's best expansion. New things I love: 1) CRZs (world pvp is back plus my medium pop server doesn't feel empty in low and mid level zones), 2) Pet battles! They make leveling in WoW more fun than it ever was. 3) The new talent system. For the first time I can actually pick the talents myself and not have to read a site to find the 1-2It's too early to judge but I think this might be WoW's best expansion. New things I love: 1) CRZs (world pvp is back plus my medium pop server doesn't feel empty in low and mid level zones), 2) Pet battles! They make leveling in WoW more fun than it ever was. 3) The new talent system. For the first time I can actually pick the talents myself and not have to read a site to find the 1-2 viable specs for my class. Some things I haven't tried yet: The monk (only level 15), Pandaria, raiding, new dungeons, bgs and arenas, PvP balance. I will probably edit this review in 2-3 months, but I had to counter all those negative reviews from GW2 fanboys and Blizz haters, because MoP doesn't deserve such a low score. (btw I played wotlk for 3 months and cata for 1 (I didn't like where WoW was heading in the last 4-5 years), I'm not even close to a wow fanboy)…Collapse

An expansion worthy of the franchise’s legacy that, according to sales and subscriptions data, pulls the series back on the right track, in a spectacular way. On the other hand however, the limitations of the World of Warcraft platform are similarly underlined. There’s no room for fundamental restructuring of the game. [November 2012]

The fourth World of Warcraft expansion set is trying to get back all of those souls lost in last months, even years. At the end of the day it manages to get them back, letting them forget Cataclysm that's been dull as ditch water.